Is Thankshopping really the new Thanksgiving?

Shoppers line up in the dark during the 2010 Black Friday rush. (Rachel MuMMey / Associated…)

Much of the nation appears shocked by the encroachment of Black Friday into Thankful Thursday, with stores opening on the national day of gratitude. Thanksgiving, it would appear, has become Thankshopping.

At least instead of letting all that stuffing and pecan pie turn into an afternoon of indigestion and sloth, the shopping contingent will be standing up, walking around, possibly engaging in such cardiovascular-building activities as racing for a TV set or engaging in fisticuffs over the hottest deals.

Every year, we're treated to horrific Black Friday stories about people being trampled, stores vandalized -- and let's not forget the 20 or so customers who were pepper-sprayed at the video-game display at the Porter Ranch Wal-Mart last year -- and we wonder at how far our own society is falling. People are willing to forsake a day of contemplating what we already have in favor of running out to get more, and ready to beat up on others for a TV set.

Black Friday shoppers certainly make for a dramatic, energy-laden bunch. But, whether one appreciates their zeal for a deal or not, I wonder how many of them are us. They're making the news, but that's quite possibly because the rest of us are sitting at home thinking that a huge crush at the stores is the last place we'd like to be, and that everyone besides us is there.

Has the American lust for bargains gone overboard, or is the Christmas shopping creep just part of the fun?